[Review] Fitbit Blaze
The previous watch/fitness tracker I was wearing was the Fitbit Charge HR (click the link to see that review). This was a very good fitness tracker and watch while I had it for 1 year and two months, and after considerable use, it was finally time to upgrade. And what a better device to upgrade to than the new Fitbit Blaze!
When Fitbit announced the new Blaze fitness tracker, I was a bit skeptic about having this big square thing on my wrist the whole day and night. However I was proven wrong once I managed to get one in my hands. This thing is exceptionally lightweight and certainly does not intrude on any part of your wrist movements. I can easily catch/pass a rugby ball, play basketball, squash and badminton, without even noticing the watch was there.
The Fitbit Blaze comes with the small square tracker itself, a classic band and frame, and a small charging dock. You can also purchase additional bands and frame such as a leather band and frame, but that will set you back an extra $180! Fitbit also sent me this band and I’m not sure I’d be spending an extra $180 (half the price of a Fitbit Blaze) just for this band. While it is leather, I found myself liking the classic rubber band better. The leather band had two buckles that hold the straps in place, however one of the buckles is stuck closest to the end which means it is a bit hard trying to get the straps in and out when removing the watch.
The Fitbit Blaze has a colour touchscreen, and the colours on the watch look very surreal. There are options to change the clock style, and I really like the above clock face.
Even though the Fitbit Blaze costs $370 NZD for the regular-coloured model ($420 for the Black/Gunmetal model which looks exceptionally stunning in my opinion and wish I had got that one instead), and the ‘higher end’ Fitbit Surge which costs $470, I would definitely go for the Fitbit Blaze firstly because it’s cheaper, and secondly because it is a lot more stylish than the Surge. A watch is worn to express your style and with a Fitbit Blaze, it can express to people that you are a self-motivated hard-working individual who cares about their health, while also having a great looking watch/fitness tracker that can match your style. The Fitbit Surge does have built-in GPS tracking, but lacks a beautiful colour touchscreen.
The Fitbit Blaze fitness tracker has a plethora of features with heavy emphasis on the fitness features, while also catering for the smart watch users:
- PurePulse Heart Rate monitor – Very common feature nowadays on these fitness trackers. Had this on my previous Fitbit Charge HR too.
- On-Screen “FitStar” workouts – I really enjoyed this feature as it had three workout routines that you could choose from each ranging between 5-10 minutes. There was even an animation of how to properly do each exercise which was certainly a very nice touch. A timer would count down for each exercise and at the end of the workout, you could see how many calories you burned, what your average heart rate was during the workout and how long the workout was.
- Connected GPS – If you go for a run or a bike, the Fitbit Blaze is able to map your journey through your phone. So this feature will only work properly if your phone is with you during the journey. On the display of the Blaze, you can also see your run stats such as pace and duration.
- Multi-Sport – Lets you select what you’re going to do e.g Run, Bike, Weights, Elliptical etc. so you can see your stats and track them in real-time.
- All-Day Activity and Sleep – What would a fitness tracker be without an all-day pedometer? Sleep tracking is also a feature on the Blaze, and is really no different to when I had the Fitbit Charge HR. It uses a range of measurements to see when you’re asleep such as a lower heart-rate through the heart-rate monitor and wrist movements to see if you’re moving or not.
- Music Control – One of my favourite features on the Fitbit Blaze is its ability to control your music playback straight from the watch itself. There are three buttons on the Fitbit Blaze, one on the left and two on the right. The two buttons on the right don’t do anything apart from turning up or down the volume for the music, I have found out. Even though the Blaze is touchscreen, I would’ve thought they’d also make those buttons to good use by using them to scroll through each screen. You can play, skip or reverse the music tracks.
- Call, Text and Calendar Alerts – These are pretty self explanatory. The Blaze also vibrates to let you know if someone is calling you on your phone. However the vibration and notification only happens when the ring on the phone has already finished, 9 out of 10 times. This delay was also noticeable on my previous Fitbit Charge HR, and really wish Fitbit could fix this problem very soon.
The battery lasts me around 4-5 days, just like what the box says. Charging the Blaze requires you to remove the device from the frame and putting it into the supplied dock.
In conclusion, I am pretty happy with my upgrade to the Fitbit Blaze from my previous already-high-performing Fitbit Charge HR. All the stats gathered from the tracker are able to be viewed online on the Fitbit website, or on the Fitbit mobile app which displays all your stats in a nice, organised manner. The only issue I have right now is the delay in which the call notifications are received. Hopefully this can be fixed soon by the company.
The Fitbit Blaze regular-coloured models cost $370 NZD, while the Fitbit Blaze Black/Gunmetal model costs $420 NZD. On a side note, have you noticed how “Blaze” and “420” are in the same sentence?
For more information on the Fitbit Blaze, please visit: https://www.fitbit.com/nz/blaze
